Lamar Jackson looks like a $50M QB, Jaguars step up: Bucky’s Breakdown

By Bucky Brooks
FOX Sports NFL Analyst

There is nothing like watching a great slate of games on a Sunday. 

The soap-opera-like drama of the NFL makes the viewing experience resemble a roller-coaster ride with the emotional highs and lows that each viewer experiences throughout the day. 

Given some time to reflect on another wild Sunday, here are some thoughts from a former NFL scout.

Three things I liked

Lamar Jackson looks like a $50 million man 

Maybe the Ravens wanted to inspire their franchise quarterback to play the best football of his career by failing to agree to Jackson’s terms in negotiations, but the team’s inability to reach a deal will result in the former MVP becoming the NFL’s next $50 million man. 

The fifth-year pro is not only playing like an All-Pro this season, but he again looks like the best player in football whenever he has the ball in his hands. Jackson has started the season with at least three passing touchdowns and 100 rush yards in each of his three starts. And his outstanding efficiency as a passer has silenced the critics who questioned his ability to flourish from the pocket if opponents take away his running lanes. 

With Jackson thriving while helping the Ravens rack up wins against a tough schedule, Baltimore’s front office might regret its failure to reach a deal with a quarterback who is playing like the NFL’s QB1 through three weeks. 

The Jaguars are measuring up 

Coaches might not say it out loud, but there are a handful of games on each team’s schedule that are viewed as “measuring stick” games. The coaches will assess how their teams perform against top opponents to see where they stand among the elite and how they can close the gap on the heavyweights in the league. 

Jacksonville most likely circled its game against the Chargers. If the Jaguars could hold their own against a team loaded with premier talent, Doug Pederson would leave Hollywood knowing that his team has the potential to contend for a playoff berth with steady improvement throughout the season. 

After blowing the Chargers out 38-10 on the road, the Jaguars are a legitimate threat in the AFC South, and their games are no longer viewed as “cupcake” wins on an opponent’s schedule. The narrative surrounding the Jaguars has changed due to the dominant performance of a defense loaded with young, athletic, hungry players. The Jaguars beat up their opponents at every turn, and their “bully ball” tactics have prompted some teams to essentially quit in the second half. 

Offensively, Pederson has worked his magic with Trevor Lawrence to help the former No. 1 overall pick play up to his potential. The second-year pro has started to find his groove as a passer, and his efficient distribution to a cast of veteran playmakers has made the Jaguars’ offense more difficult to defend. 

Related: Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars upset Chargers in dominant fashion

Although three games is a small sample size to make a long-term assessment, the Jaguars’ sizzling start has certainly opened some eyes around the league. 

Mike McDaniel is building a bully in Miami 

Do not look now but the Dolphins are currently atop the AFC East due to a creative offense and stifling defense coming together. New head coach Mike McDaniel deserves his flowers for winning the tactical battles against some of the best coaches in the league. 

It’s hard to take on Bill Belichick, John Harbaugh and Sean McDermott in back-to-back-to-back weeks and walk away with a 3-0 record. The sizzling start puts McDaniel and the Dolphins squarely in the spotlight as an emerging playoff contender. 

Part of their success can be attributed to the world-class track team that wears opponents out with their individual and collective speed and explosion. Tyreek HIll and Jaylen Waddle terrify opponents with their big-play potential, and the fear of surrendering a deep ball has enabled the Dolphins to work the underneath areas of coverage. 

Considering Tua Tagovailoa has always excelled as a quick-rhythm thrower dropping dimes on an assortment of run-pass options and quick throws, the Dolphins have surrounded him with enough weaponry to aggressively attack any defense. 

Tua leads Dolphins to 3-0 start

Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins improved to 3-0 with a 21-19 win over the Bills after Josh Allen was unable to spike the ball in the final seconds to set up a potential game-winning field goal. Skip Bayless breaks down the biggest reason Miami pulled off the win.

On the other side of the ball, defensive coordinator Josh Boyer continues to tweak and tinker with a blitz-heavy scheme that forces some quarterbacks to wilt under the pressure. The constant harassment, punishment and deception tax their minds and lead to mistakes later in games. 

In a league in which games are frequently decided by eight points or fewer, the constant pressure created by the Dolphins’ offensive and defensive units makes this team a nightmare to face. 

Three things I did not like

Josh McDaniels’ second stint as a head coach is off to a bumpy start 

The Raiders‘ new head coach was expected to take a good team and make it a great one. However, Las Vegas is winless through three games and looks nothing like a squad that was expected to compete for a title. 

Maybe the team will turn things around as it becomes more comfortable with McDaniels’ culture and scheme, but starting out slow in a division loaded with premier quarterback talent and playoff-caliber rosters is a recipe for disaster. 

While some critics have taken Derek Carr to task for his play, the veteran QB has put up 300-yard games and operated fairly efficiently while adjusting to McDaniels’ system. Against the Titans, Carr completed passes to seven different receivers with Tennessee intent on taking away Davante Adams on the perimeter. 

Although Carr’s patience and discipline are admirable, McDaniels has to find a way to keep Adams in the game when everyone is attempting to take him away. Whether the Raiders increase their pre-snap motions and shifts or put the All-Pro receiver in the backfield before motioning him out wide, the offense needs more creativity in the game plan to help Adams shake coverage. 

In addition, McDaniels must lean into the running game to punish opponents for utilizing light boxes against Josh Jacobs. With so much attention directed toward Adams, the Raiders must take advantage of the soft coverage on the outside. The Patriots feasted off of these tactics for years under McDaniels’ watch, and the Raiders need to find a way to punish opposing coaches for their aggressive defensive playcalls. 

Until the Raiders’ offense forces opponents to pay their taxes for their blunders, Las Vegas will continue to take L’s this season. 

Chiefs do not bring their A Game

The Chiefs are unquestionably one of the top teams in the NFL, but that does not mean that they are good enough to sleepwalk through games and earn a win. Despite their superior talents on the offensive side of the ball, the loss of Tyreek Hill makes them more of a body puncher than a knockout artist in the ring. As a result, this version of the Chiefs must play the right way to win games. 

From their management of penalties to their overall execution, the margin for error in 2022 is much smaller than in previous years. Against the Colts, the team’s lack of focus and discipline caught up with them as they gave away a game that should have been chalked up as a W.

Patrick Mahomes takes blame for Chiefs’ 20-17 loss to Colts

The Colts handed the Chiefs their first loss and Patrick Mahomes threw his first interception, coming late in the game as K.C. was nearing field-goal range. Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless discuss the effect of losing WR Tyreek Hill.

Reviewing the stat sheet, it is hard to win when you lose the turnover battle, penalty calls and red-zone efficiency. Those categories typically determine the outcome of games, and the Chiefs’ losses in each of those areas reflect a subpar effort. Moreover, they suggest Andy Reid’s team was not focused or detail-oriented against the Colts. 

With Chris Jones‘ egregious unsportsmanlike penalty extending the Colts’ game-winning drive, the team’s overall lack of discipline cost the AFC favorites a win on Sunday. 

The Buccaneers‘ offense is stuck in neutral 

Todd Bowles might want to touch base with his old boss to see how he can fix an offense that looks nothing like the juggernaut that lit up scoreboards a year ago. Tom Brady and Byron Leftwich have not found the perfect combination of plays and personnel to get this offensive train back on the tracks. 

After watching the Buccaneers drop a close one to the Packers without most of Tampa’s firepower on the perimeter, the offense should morph into a power-running squad with Leonard Fournette as the centerpiece of the ground attack. Fournette finished each of the Buccaneers’ wins with 20-plus carries, and the threat of the run, particularly from run-heavy formations, opens up the field for Brady. 

Leonard Fournette reflects on his career and how he ended up on the Bucs

Erin Andrews talks with Leonard Fournette about being released by the Jaguars and getting a call from Tom Brady to join the Bucs.

In addition to adopting a more run-centric plan, the Buccaneers should move away from the “spread and shred” formations to a more traditional pro-style or two-back package with route combinations that better suit the wideouts on the roster. Sure, Brady has made a living picking apart defenses with pinpoint throws on quick passes and option routes, but the Buccaneers’ extra large pass catchers are at their best running intermediate and deep routes that require more time to get open. 

With play-action providing Brady with bigger windows to target due to the reaction of linebackers to play fakes, the Buccaneers can solve a lot of their issues with a game plan that features more old-school principles. 

My top-10 teams 

1. Philadelphia Eagles: The most complete team in football has surged to an unbeaten start behind the play of one of the hottest quarterbacks in the league. Jalen Hurts has not only silenced his critics with his sensational play, but he has emerged as a legitimate MVP candidate. 

Jalen Hurts on his progression with the Eagles

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts speaks on his progression with the team, A.J. Brown and coach Nick Sirianni.

2. Miami Dolphins: Mike McDaniel has quickly shown the league that he is one of the brightest minds in the game. With wins over Bill Belichick, John Harbaugh and Sean McDermott, the rookie head coach has already earned league-wide respect as a masterful team-builder and tactician. 

3. Buffalo Bills: Despite dropping a tough one on the road, the Bills look like a championship-caliber squad. Josh Allen & Co. have the potential to light up the scoreboard with their offensive fireworks supported by a stingy defense with a knack for taking the ball away. 

4. Green Bay Packers: The Packers have morphed into a blue-collar squad that specializes in playing old-school football with the defense leading the way. Although Aaron Rodgers will eventually find his groove with a cast of young playmakers on the perimeter, the Packers’ talented defense can carry the team until the youngsters find their way. 

5. Baltimore Ravens: If not for a stunning fourth-quarter collapse in Week 2, the Ravens would sit atop the charts despite failing to play their best football. With Lamar Jackson playing like an MVP, it is just a matter of time before the Ravens surge up the charts. 

6. Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs’ lack of discipline and focus are the only things that can derail their chances of making another AFC Championship Game appearance. Andy Reid has to curb some selfish penalties and egotistical plays that will compromise the team’s chances of winning down the road. 

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The offense remains a work in progress with Tom Brady and OC Byron Leftwich trying to come up with the best approach to consistently move the chains. While the odds suggest that the duo will eventually figure it out, the Buccaneers need to rely on their defense while the offense works through this trial-and-error phase. 

8. Los Angeles Rams: The Rams have not played up to their potential, but they have done enough to scratch out a pair of wins and remain atop the NFC West. 

9. Jacksonville Jaguars: Back-to-back wins over the Colts and Chargers have the rest of the league buzzing about the Jaguars’ defense. With Doug Pederson working his magic on Trevor Lawrence, the Jaguars are flying under the radar as an emerging playoff contender.

10. Cleveland Browns: Playing without their franchise quarterback, the Browns are leaning into their running game and stout defense to navigate the waters until Deshaun Watson returns. 

MVP of the Week: Jalen Hurts, Eagles

If Hurts continues to perform like a combination of Randall Cunningham, Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick each week, the Eagles will not only make a run at the division crown but could sneak into the conversation as a title contender. Against the Commanders, Hurts put up 340 passing yards and three scores while continuing to dazzle as a rugged, dual-threat playmaker. With 300-plus scrimmage yards becoming the new standard for his performance, the Eagles’ quarterback has emerged as an unstoppable offensive weapon. 

Offensive Player of the Week: Lamar Jackson, Ravens

Jackson’s bet on himself is going to result in a whopping payday for the former MVP. The fifth-year pro has passed for three touchdowns and rushed for 100-plus yards in each game this season while showcasing his value to team officials. As Jackson continues to show improvement as a passer, the Ravens should have a clear understanding of what it is going to cost them to keep No. 8 in purple for the next few years. 

Defensive Player of the Week: Roquan Smith

It looks like the Bears will need to break the piggy bank to reward Smith for his work as a disruptive force for a defense that is carrying the team to wins. The linebacker totaled 16 stops while adding an interception to a stat-line that accurately depicts Smith’s impact on the game. As a sideline-to-sideline playmaker with A-plus speed, instincts and diagnostic skills, the Bears’ top defender is a problem for opposing offense attempting to test the middle of the field. 

Unsung Hero: Cordarelle Patterson, Atlanta Falcons

Imagine how good Patterson could be if he were a trained running back. The former All-Pro kick returner has developed into a legitimate RB1 for the Falcons after being utilized as a gadget player for most of his career. With 141 rushing yards on 17 carries as the Falcons’ workhorse runner, the veteran is proving to naysayers that you can teach an old dog new tricks in the NFL. 

Bucky Brooks is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. He regularly appears on “Speak For Yourself” and also breaks down the game for NFL Network and as a cohost of the “Moving the Sticks” podcast. Follow him on Twitter @BuckyBrooks.

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